It would seem that I’ve been having a short slue of serendipitous mishaps in my kitchen lately.
First I have the uncheesecake pops from the Daring Bakers challenge and now I have crumbly peanut butter cookies.

After a craving and an urge of inspiration from seeing a jarful of banana jam, I wanted to make thumbprint cookies. My first batch of cookies were pretty good but with a cup of oatmeal they lost the peanut butter Pow! and were mostly just oatmeal cookies with a sinkhole of banana in the center. A cookie I’d try again, but just not for this…

Next, I stuck clear of the oats and stayed traditional. I pretty much mimicked my Nana’s peanut butter cookie recipe. (You know the ones with the fork or potato masher prints?) To veganize, I just left out the egg and added a drop of soy milk. No matter how I’d mixed the batter it was dry. I added another tablespoon of milk, then another… and another. I managed to shape them into balls to get into the fridge but there was no way I would be getting a potato masher anywhere near these things. I flattened and shaped a trays worth by hand and watched the edges crack as I squished my thumb into the middle to get the jam blob in.

The results were creamy, peanut-buttery but d-r-y. Certainly not a satisfying cookie. As the jar runnith empty, I was getting tired of inventing new disasters to eat. Then it donned on me that these were good for about one thing – and no, not wanting to waste everything, it wasn’t the compost. These crusty, crumbly cookies were just that, crust and with combined with something even creamier, a potentially perfect dessert base.

Given that mini tart pans make for a great finished dessert, these looked almost like they came from the bakery with little to no effort. Of course, if you don’t have the pans, I’m sure you could go larger into a pie dish. Of anything I’ve learned lately is to just go with the flow, because you might just end up with something pretty great where you least expected it.

CRUMBLY PEANUT BUTTER COOKIE CRUST

1/3 Cup Butter, choose Earth Balance if you want it vegan
1/2 Cup Sugar
3/4 Cup Creamy Peanut Butter
1/2 teaspoon Vanilla
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1 1/3 Cups All Purpose Flour
1/4 Cup Milk, soy for vegan version

Cream the butter and sugar.
Add peanut butter and vanilla mixing well to combine.
Add the baking powder and salt followed by half of the flour.
Combine the milk then add the remaining flour.
Refrigerate for about one hour, or freeze for later use after shaping into a disk and wrapping well.
Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
Break off walnut sized pieces, flattening as best as possible and press into tart pans.
Bake for 10-12 minutes cooling completely before filling.

Fill with vegan caramel 1/2 way up the sides and top with an even layer of walnut halves.
Melt a semi-sweet or dark chocolate in a double boiler or in a heat safe bowl over simmering water until smooth.
Pipe or drizzle chocolate over top of the nuts and lightly sprinkle with coarse sea salt.
Chill until ready to serve.

You see, there’s this lovely event that takes place amongst some bloggers, so nicely organized by Stephanie at Dispensing Happiness. “Blogging By Mail” matches bloggers from around the globe to send a little something about where they’re from, their common culinary ingredients and their most favourite things. As my package was en route to Amrita in Singapore, Michelle was busy travelling from home to home town to jam pack the parcel she was preparing for lucky, little ol’ me.

Inside there were stuffed olives, beautiful fabric for me use in pictures, gouda, fruit snacks, ginger chews, note cards, Jordan Almonds and the cutest Heinz ketchup bottle, that I’ve always wanted but never had the courage to steal while on vacation in the States.:)

…And the chocolate, chocolate chocolate! As I pulled the items from what seemed to be my bottomless box of complete generosity, I found bars, sauce, biscotti, chocolate pretzels and it perfect breakfast match, coffee!!

As I drank my freshly ground Joe, I flipped through The Chocolate Deck, which Michelle also included!
It’s a deck of chocolate recipes so fantastically photographed by William Meppem and written by a former editor of Gourmet, Lori Longbotham. I was truly inspired by some of the recipes. Some for their beauty, others for their simplicity. Like this one; Bicerin.

Bicerin is described to have been a cafe favourite in Turin, Italy during the nineteenth century. Still enjoyed, it looked good and sounded better, plus with the help of Michelle, I had pretty much all the best ingredients to give my inspiration a go.

BICERIN
(as Adapted From Lori Longbotham)

2 Cups Plain Soy Milk
2 Cups Strongly Brewed, Hot Coffee
3 Ounces Bittersweet or Semisweet Chocolate, finely chopped
3 Tablespoons Sugar, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon Orange Flower Water, optional
or
2 Tablespoons Grand Marnier, optional

Over a medium heat, warm the soy milk to a low simmer and remove just before it begins to boil.
Meanwhile, in a heatproof pitcher, pour the hot coffee over the chopped chocolate and sugar, whisking until smooth.
Whisk the milk and Grand Marnier or orange blossom water, if using.
Taste and adjust sweetness, adding more if necessary.

Serves 4 – 6

A trip to Montréal could be a faster route to Paris if it weren’t for it’s own personal and famous delicacies.
Sure, there are so many restaurants, so many of which are indeed French, however, a visit would not be complete without a trip to Schwartz’s or St. Viateur.

If you’re lucky enough to experience a St. Viateur bagel hot from their wood burning oven, you’ll be certain to leave with at least a dozen and compelled to repack your suitcase for more. Unlike their doughy, over-puffed counter parts, these bagels are now a distinctive Montréal establishment. Founded in 1957, they have been confusing copy-cats seeking out the recipe for decades. “It’s in the oven.” Says, Vince of St.Viateur. As it’s not just the recipe that holds the secret to these chewy and flavourful masterpieces. Since most cities aren’t permitted wood burning ovens, which produce the optimal conditions and heat to bake the bagels.

Thankfully Montréal is a very walkable city – even in the winter. Although cold and particularly snowy during my last visit, there were people out enjoying the day. It really is the best way to get around and work off that extra bagel or your last order of poutine.

Poutine is common street food and even though it’s made it into fast food outlets, it’s still the mom and pop’s that make it the best. Years ago, while living in the city, I had a chef friend who obviously shared my love of the food experience. In addition to the best French restos, he had me lined up for a poutine taste test. Poutine is a dish of crisp, straight cut French fries, gooingly topped with cheese curds and a “brown sauce”. This gravy and the cheese somehow have a way of touching and melting over every über fattening bite. Served up with a hot dog avec tout; onions, relish, sauerkraut and a sprinkling of cayenne (don’t balk, it’s surprisingly delicious). With that you may think that a plate of poutine would be the same as the next, but it really isn’t so. The one spot you may second guess entering from the street view is often the best, including the case of where we were. Don’t let the orange counter and the faded overhead menu photos fool you. Of course, now a days I might opt for some of Montréal’s French uppity restaurants versions that offer fois gras or an ox tail gravy on their Belgian style frites. But once in a while, during a visit this sit down street food is simply irresistible.

I know, I know, if you see one more cupcake shop you may just want to toss your sprinkles but while out on my food jaunt, I just couldn’t help but notice the retro pink shop bustling with customers. Perhaps it was the unforgiving snow or the fact that the store looked as if it were decorated by Barbie herself, I couldn’t not enter. So sweetly named, Petits Gâteaux is only one of the few popular cupcake joints in the city.

Inside, I was greeted by friendly faces and long glass counters filled with the tiniest of cupcakes decked out with the likes of banana fudge, chocolate mocha and white chocolate raspberry. Even with a flight out the next day, I couldn’t resist these tea party cakes. Living up to their names of small cakes, they were just about that.

I learned my lesson of temptation then still moved along to smoked meat.

All of this during a crazy snowstorm, we were blasted and whitened as the snowballs fell from the sky. Our last stop was Schwartz’s Deli. Between the small hike of two blocks, our once dark jackets were lightened. Quickly saturated by the steam of some of the most known smells in Montréal, the snow that covered out jackets melted faster than the Schwartz’s Saturday wait.

A Montréal landmark since 1928, it’s the spot for locals, tourist and celebrities alike, the line up is deservedly out the door on the best of days. …And why not? Schwartz’s is well known for it’s spices and slow preparation, helping to give New York City a run for not only bagels but the perfect deli sandwich. It’s a thing of pride for the folks at Schwartz’s. One of the best damn sandwiches you will ever have. Piled a mile high and the chance to see Angelina Jolie with mustard on her chin, who could possibly pass that up while in town?

Anything to declare? I was asked as I entered customs for my quick flight home.
“Schwartz’s and bagels.” was my reply.
And in the most relaxed customs agent response, “Haha. Bien sur, allons y. Just next time remember the Tourtiere and the sugar pie.”

For a few more shots of the trip check out my flickr page.

Mmmm.

Hopefully this is the post worth waiting for. Since being whisked off for a quick French get away, I ate my way through all of Montréal’s renown food samples.

Squeaking a flight through a crazy snowstorm, even for Québec standards, safe at home I brought out my sack of goodness from a small approvisionnement de cuisine shop, still wet from the cookie sized snowflakes that were tumbling down around me. In it, my newly treasured Madeleine pan…

Madeleines are one of my most favourite things. Yes, Proust would be proud. I love these delightful tea cakes so much I named my first born after them. Really.

I couldn’t have been more excited while tredging my better half through this snowstorm to make it back to a little shop I’d originally peered through the window of as this recipe serendipitously came together.

You see, most of Northeastern Canada and U.S.A produces everyone’s supply of maple syrup, and it’s at this time of year, when the temperatures are at their crazy best that the maple sap begins flowing. Thankfully for where I’m at, Québec is one of the number one producers of the stuff – so imagine my pure delight, as I was picking up a few morning groceries, to discover Maple Flakes, even being Canadian I haven’t seen this stuff in the flesh and it hits me that these are where the French Petite Madeleine meets French Canadian. I have certainly found what I have been trying my hand at veganizing these “invasions of the senses” for.

MAPLE MADELIENES

1/4 Cup butter (or to make it vegan, lactose free margarine), melted
1/2 Frozen banana, thawed and pushed through a sieve to puree.
1/3 Cup Soy milk
3 Tablespoons Orange Juice
1 Tablespoon Orange Zest
1 Cup All Purpose Flour, sifted
1/4 Cup cornstarch, sifted
1/4 Cup Sugar,
1/3 Cup Maple Syrup
1/4 teaspoon Salt

Sift dry ingredients together.
Add juice to the soy milk and let rest.
Melt butter/margarine and let cool.
Beat banana and sugar together until very smooth.
Add the soy milk and maple syrup and zest to the banana mixture and combine well.
Whisk in the melted butter then, gradually whisk in dry ingredients with the wet until combined.
Allow the batter to set for about an 1/2 hour in the fridge while you
evenly grease and lightly flour your Madeleine pan.
While the oven preheats to 375ºF, fill each shell 3/4 full with batter and let the batter rest in the pan, popping any bubbles that rise to the surface.
Bake until centers have puffed and the edges are crisp and browned; about 15 minutes.
Cool completely before drizzling over the glaze and sprinkling with maple flakes.

MAPLE GLAZE

1 Tablespoon Margarine
1/4 Cup Maple Syrup
1/2 Cup Confectioners Sugar

Melt the margarine in a medium saucepan.
Add the maple syrup and continue to heat until bubbling.
Whisk in the confectioners sugar until smooth.
Reduce heat but continue to simmer until thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon.
Remove from heat and dip, dunk or drizzle, since the glaze will begin to harden and crystallize as it cools.

I’m so glad that I could find something that he really loves. I’m sure he’s tasted a few great things, so I’m pretty flattered. We always have made the trip up to see him and Greatest Nana after Christmas. These days in addition to celebrating, the kids and I often pack along a few things to stock their freezer with into the New Year.
Even though I’m sure he knows what he’s getting. Along with the soups and staples, the care package wouldn’t be complete without these little surprises. Just to be festive, I’ve banged them up a bit with the hazelnut butter. I really hope he likes them.

CHOCOLATE HAZELNUT SURPRISE COOKIES

1 1/2 Cups Unbleached, All Purpose Flour, sifted
1/2 Cup Cocoa Powder, sifted
1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1/2 Cup Margarine
1/2 Cup Vegetable Shortening
1 Ripe Banana, very well mashed
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
3/4 Cup Brown Sugar, packed
1/2 Cup White Sugar

FILLING

1/2 Cup Hazelnut Butter (Almond or peanut butter may be substituted.)
1/4 Cup Brown Sugar, packed

Mix the hazelnut butter and 1/4 Cup of brown sugar together in a small bowl until well combined and creamy; set aside.
Sift the flour, cocoa, baking powder and soda into a medium sized bowl.
Peel and mash the banana very well, eliminating most of any lumps.
In a large bowl or using an electric stand mixer, combine the margarine, shortening and banana; mixing well.
Add the 1 Cup of brown sugar along with the white sugar and vanilla extract; blending until creamy.
Add the sifted ingredients in two batches, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary to just combine.
Chill the dough for a minimum of 1/2 hour or until firm enough to hold a spoon.
Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
Begin shaping dough into 1 1/2″ diameter balls, placing them, well spaced, onto a parchment lined baking sheet.
Slightly flatten balls and make a well in the center with your thumb.
Top the depression with a heaping teaspoon, or enough to fill the space, of the hazelnut filling.
To seal, make additional balls of dough about 1″ in diameter and flatten completely to cover and enclose the filled cookies beneath.
Bake for about 12 – 15 minutes; until firm with crisp edges.
Allow the cookies to rest and cool 1 – 2 minutes before transferring to a rack.
Repeat with remaining dough.
Makes about 18 cookies.

Getting into the last week before Christmas, the excitement builds and the rush heightens. I can’t help but get those butterflies like I had when I was a kid. A staple at our Christmas sweets table, this version of shortbread is certainly a family tradition just as Santa and snowflakes. Soft and tender, they simply melt in your mouth. Wonderful all alone, but for the Hoildays the addition of toffee or dried cranberries is an extra special treat.

I had originally made give aways of this cookie mix for the Holidays, just needing to add the margarine but the simple layer of sugared cranberries seemed lost in the sifted white ingredients, so I opted to just spare recipients the time of baking and bring them the finished products instead, minus the ones I had to test for doneness, of course.

CRANBERRY SHORTBREAD

1/4 Cup Corn Starch
1/4 Cup Confectionery Sugar,
1 Cup Unbleached, All Purpose Flour
3/4 Cup Margarine
1/4 Cup Dried Cranberries
2 Tablespoons Sanding or Damara Sugar

Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
Sift flour, corn starch and confectionery sugar into a large bowl.
Measure and chop the cranberries with one tablespoon of the sanding sugar. (This helps keep them from sticking to everything and to candy them while they bake.)
Add the margarine and cranberries.
Stir the mixture, using a wooden spoon, just until everything begins to come together in a soft dough.
Roll the dough with your hands into small balls.
Flatten the cookies with your palm or the bottom of a lightly flour dusted glass.
Top with a sprinkling of the remaining sanding sugar.
Bake for approximately 10 – 12 minutes, watching carefully towards the end. The cookies should be removed just as the edges begin to turn a light golden.
Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

It was amazing I had a chance to fill these cookies. Fresh and plain, the almond biscuits coming straight from the oven proved pretty popular. I almost would have thought to leave them just for snacking although it is Christmas cookie season, so I figured a little extra sparkle was in order.

Setting off with an original idea to use up the finally ripe hachiya persimmon sinking into my window sill, I was thinking of a swankier jelly thumb print. All I needed was the cookie to dab my thumb downward.

Looking for a cookie base to stuff, ice or otherwise decorate wasn’t too tough. I wanted versatility and these cookies have it. Delicately flavoured with almonds these cookies are also nice and crisp, able to hold up a sweet orangy center.

This, I guess is where inspiration meets evolution; or laziness meets versatility – can’t decide.
No matter which, the cookie base is a great canvas and here are two works for it.
Let me know what you come up with.

ALMOND BISCUITS

1/2 Cup Margarine
1/2 Cup Whole Almonds
1/2 Banana, well mashed
1/2 Cup Granulated Sugar, organic
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1 1/4 Cup Unbleached, All Purpose Flour, plus more for rolling
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder

In a food processor, grind the almonds until coarse.
Add the flour and continue to mix until the almonds are a fine texture.
In a large bowl blend the mashed banana with the margarine until smooth.
Add the sugar and continue to mix until creamy.
Add salt, vanilla, and baking powder; beating well to incorporate.
Add the ground almonds and flour; mixing well to form a soft dough.
Shape the dough into a ball and cut in half.
Wrap the dough in plastic and flatten into disks.
Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes – 1 hour.*
Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
Roll out, one disk at a time on a lightly floured board to about a 1/8″ thickness for the sandwich cookies, about 1/4″ thick for the thumbprint cookies.
Cut out with your desired shape. (Flowers, circles or scalloped edged rounds are nice.)

For Orange Sandwich Cookies:

Transfer cookies to a parchment lined cookie sheet and bake for 8 – 10 minutes, watching carefully at the end, since they go from pale to golden fairly quickly.
Remove from baking sheet and completely cool on a wire baking rack.
Pipe icing rounds into the center of half of the biscuits. Top with the remaining biscuits, swirl additional icing on top and sprinkle with demara sugar, if desired.

For the thumbprint cookies:
Cut the cookies a little thicker. Transfer them to a parchment lined cookie sheet.
With a dampened thumb, create an even well in the center of each cookie and fill with a dollop of the prepared persimmon jelly.
Bake for about 10 minutes or until just light golden and crisp.
Transfer to a wire rack to cool. (Don’t sneak – sugar gets hot. You will burn your lip – trust me.)

SATSUMA ORANGE ICING

1 Tablespoon Juice, 1 Satsuma (1 Clementine, or even Tropicana will do in a pinch)
1 Tablespoon Margarine
2/3 Cup Confectionery Sugar, sifted

Add sifted sugar to a medium bowl.
Combine margarine with a fork or an electric mixer.
Drizzle in the juice, continuing to mix until smooth.
The consistency should have movement, unlike cake icing but not be runny.

PERSIMMON JELLY

1 Hachiya Persimmon, very ripe
1/4 Cup Sugar

Cut the persimmon lengthwise and with a spoon, remove the pulp into a small saucepan.
Bring the heat up to medium-high.
Add sugar, mashing and stirring well.
Let the persimmon simmer for about 5 minutes or until the back of a spoon is coated and glossy.
Remove from heat, cool slightly then pass through a mesh strainer with the help of a rubber spatula.
Cool and dot into cookie divots.

* The dough will keep in the fridge or freezer until you’re ready. Fridge for about a week and freeze for up to 3 months.

With thirteen members of the 4 and 5 year old set, I knew I’d need extra hands and entertainment but as far as the food went, I figured I had it covered.
Between the green goo and witches brew, there were ghost pops, goblin cakes and these Casper cookies.

The cookies are great for cutting out cats, witches, pumpkins and ghosts alike. Pretty quick and easy to make, just err on the underdone as the edges can brown fairy quickly.

HALLOWEEN SUGAR ROLL OUT COOKIES

3/4 Cup Vegetable Shortening
3/4 Cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
Pinch of Nutmeg
2 Tablespoons Orange Juice
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus a little for dusting

Combine shortening and sugar using an electric stand mixer until incorporated, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary.
Follow with orange juice and vanilla, mixing until combined.
Add flour in batches. The dough should come together smoothly, be soft but not overly sticky.
Shape dough into a ball, divide in half then flatten into two disks.
Wrap the dough in plastic and chill for about an hour.

Preheat oven to 350ºF.
Line a baking sheet with parchment or a Silpat liner.
On a lightly floured surface, roll each disk 1/4-inch thick.
Cut out dough using lightly floured cutters.
Transfer cutouts to prepared baking sheet using a thin, metal spatula, if necessary.
Bake for about 8 minutes or until edges are firm and bottoms are very lightly browned. Transfer cookies to wire racks to cool completely.
Frost and decorate cookies with royal icing as desired.

ROYAL ICING

2 Cups Icing Sugar
1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1 1/2 Tablespoons Soy Milk
3 – 5 Tablespoons Warm Water

Mix sugar, vanilla and soy milk with an electric mixer until combined.
Slowly add the the first three tablespoons of water, one at a time.
Mix well and stop to check consistency; adding the remaining water, one tablespoon at a time as necessary. The icing should be fluid and smooth. The drizzle from the beater should leave ribbons that hold on the surface for about three seconds.

To decorate, spoon the prepared icing into a piping bag, reserving about 2 tablespoons.
Using a small, plain tip, outline the edges then flood the centres.
When all of the ghosts have been iced, add two drops of black food colouring (or two drops of dark green with one drop of red) into the reserved icing.
Spoon coloured icing into the piping bag to dot eyes and a nose on the ghosts to finish.

Makes about 24 cookies.